This invention relates to a trailer for receiving and transporting large cylindrical bales of hay and which also serves as a feeding station when trailed and positioned at a cattle feeding sight.
It has been a problem on farms where large amounts of feed for cattle are used daily and weekly in that large amounts of hay, particularly when feeding large round bales, is wasted. These hay bales found on modern farms are extremely large and heavy, weighing upwards of 1500 pounds each. When the bales are placed upon the ground for feeding, as much as one-half of the bale is wasted. The bales of this type are several feet in diameter, and consequently present difficult handling problems in transporting the bales to a feeding sight. When at the feeding sight if upon the ground, the animals ruin a substantial quantity of the hay by trampling, lying in it, and polluting it. Once polluted, the hay is completely wasted, since the animals will not consume it. In some instances, ranchers have employed hay racks and bunks when feeding the small, conventional square type of hay bales. Such equipment is not capable of use with the large round bales. The animals will eat at the sides and middle of the bale, causing its collapse, resulting in the trampling and polluting as set forth above.
The known prior art showing various types of wagons to solve this problem are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,933, Boehm; 4,067,298, Jones et al.; 4,237,821, Haines; 5,076,752, Rader; 3,949,706, Coon, Jr.; 3,881,449, Burrack et al.; and 3,972,308, Ray. However, most of these devices do not allow full and unrestricted feeding of the livestock, or they restrain the cattle from wasting the feed and thus, restrict the volume of accessible feed.
Another problem exists in that the loading of the hay bales and the transport of the hay bales many times requires the use of separate loading and transporting mechanisms and vehicles.